The house had tremendous potential and the new owners, a young professional couple, wanted to embrace the 1970’s feel, rather than try to ignore it, but not in a clichéd way. Top of their wish list was a contemporary glass and steel open tread staircase and a master bathroom with a distinctive WOW factor.

Because the ground floor space was going to be a hard-working area, it was designed with a rugged semi-industrial feel. Underfloor heating was installed and the floor was tiled with a large format Mutina tile in dark khaki with an embossed design. This was complemented by a distressed painted brick effect wallpaper on the back wall which received no direct light and thus the wallpaper worked extremely well, really giving the impression of a painted brick wall.

Calming hues were repeated in the kitchen, with pale khaki units and a cream composite worktop. A small breakfast bar was added and dramatic dark bronze tiles created a backsplash between the top of the counter and the bottom of the units.

The first-floor shower room was specified with a huge shower, the full width of the room, with statement diamond, shaped embossed tiles in tones of cream, cappuccino and chocolate. An LED under-lit wooden vanity unit and mirror finish the dramatic look.

The second floor was reconfigured from a series of separate rooms into a stylish master suite, with an open plan bathroom featuring a statement freestanding bath.

The open plan bathroom sits comfortably adjacent to the bedroom with textured porcelain wall tiles sitting easily next to the Cole & Son Fornasetti “Clouds” wallpaper. Patterned floor tiles act as a counterpoint to the pale timber wide plank flooring. As the bathroom was open plan it was important to bring a more “bedroom” aesthetic into the bathroom rather than the other way around and this was achieved by selecting floor tiles in the bathroom that were in the format of a rug pattern as well as adding 2no. bronze mirrors over the vanity unit. A freestanding bath was positioned facing the bedroom, offering views of the garden beyond and an opaque glass sliding screen was installed between the WC and bathroom. An LED strip under the vanity unit, additional wall lights and small in-floor upwards-facing lights around the bath completed the look. The bathroom area appears bigger than it is thanks to its open plan nature.

By rethinking the core aspects of the design and layout LLI Design have transformed a tall vertical townhouse into a home with a feeling of expansiveness and laterality, creating an uplifting and comfortable home for the owners.

The project was awarded Best Interior Design Private Residence London, in the United Kingdom Property Awards 2015/16.